BOSTON - Murphy's Law is officially in effect when it comes to Boston Red Sox players' health.
The latest victim is Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright, who has been placed on the 7-day DL due to concussion symptoms.
But it's how he got those symptoms that will really make you shake your head.
Wright was finishing up some sprints in Miami during the Marlins batting practice session when a ball hit by a player on the Marlins hit him square in the neck. Wright suffered concussion symptoms because of it.
"I think there's going to come a point when we get out of this chain of events that are seemingly taking place," John Farrell said on Friday. "Unfortunately Steven is going to have to miss the seven days. He'll go through the MLB protocol. The balancing tests were the ones that were really off that keep him out of starting on Monday. We don't have a replacement to announce here today . . . but there will be a starter for Monday."
The timing is bad for Wright, who has stepped up over his last three starts for an already seriously banged-up rotation. Wright is 2-0 over his last three starts, having not allowed more than two runs in any of them. That includes a start in which he went eight innings and allowed just one run on four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.
But the timing is even worse for the Red Sox, who wouldn't name a replacement starting pitcher for Monday most likely because they don't have a clue as to who it could be - and certainly don't like the options available.
With Clay Buchholz, Rick Porcello and Brian Johnson all on the DL, as well as Justin Masterson just designated for assignment, the Sox options are thinner than thin.
Porcello is scheduled to pitch a rehab game with the Single-A Lowell Spinners on Saturday. There's been no health update on Johnson, but there's zero chance they rush him back. As far as minor leaguers on the 40-man roster go, Matt Barnes is scheduled to start for the PawSox on Saturday. Edwin Escobar is scheduled to start for the PawSox on Monday. While neither of those pitchers are really starters (let's not even get started on the PawSox season), the Red Sox may have no choice but to go with one of them.
No word on if the Sox will hold tryouts in the Boston Common this weekend.
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A couple other health updates on Hanley Ramirez and Dustin Pedroia.
Ramirez missed his fifth straight game on Friday due to a left foot that he just can't get right after fouling a ball off of it.
"He's been able to go through some pregame work," Farrell said. "Gawdarnit, it's not turning the corner yet, where he fouled the ball off the left foot. The imaging still has been negative and yet the responsiveness and getting back to full speed is kind of hanging in the balance. So he's over to get re-checked today and see if there's any change of plan with that."
Pedroia, after speaking on John Farrell's cancer diagnosis, answered a question regarding his recovery from the hamstring injury.
"I'm getting better, I just finished this week strengthening and I have one more week of that phase and then I have an MRI on Friday. If everything looks good I'll start my running progression and then be back out there."